Residential roofing · New Jersey
Chimney Repair and Flashing in New Jersey
If a pitched roof in New Jersey is leaking and the shingles look sound, the chimney is the first place we look. It is a masonry structure interrupting a water-shedding surface, and every joint in that interruption is a potential entry point.
Where chimneys leak
- Counter flashing surface-sealed to the brick rather than cut into a mortar joint
- Step flashing missing or replaced with continuous metal along the sides
- No cricket on the uphill side of a wide chimney, so water and debris pool against it
- A cracked or undersized crown letting water into the masonry from above
- Deteriorated mortar joints absorbing water that later shows up inside
- A missing or damaged chimney cap
Watch out
Why this detail fails so often
Proper chimney flashing is a two-part system: step flashing woven into each shingle course, and counter flashing let into a cut mortar joint that laps over the steps. Done right, water has no continuous path inward, and neither piece relies on sealant.
The shortcut — running a bead of roof cement where the brick meets the shingles — looks the same on day one. It fails in three to five New Jersey winters, because freeze-thaw pulls the sealant off the masonry.
What we repair
- New step and counter flashing, cut and let into the mortar
- Cricket/saddle fabrication on the uphill side of wide chimneys
- Crown repair and rebuild
- Repointing deteriorated joints in the exposed stack
- Chimney cap replacement
- Deck and shingle repair around the chimney where water has already done damage
Frequently asked questions
- Do you do full chimney rebuilds?
- We handle flashing, crowns, caps, and repointing of the exposed stack. A full structural rebuild or anything involving the flue liner is a mason and chimney-sweep scope, and we will tell you when that is what you need.
- Is chimney flashing covered when I replace the roof?
- It should be. Our replacement scope includes new flashing at the chimney. If a contractor's estimate reuses existing chimney flashing, ask why.
- Why does my chimney only leak in heavy wind?
- Wind-driven rain is pushed horizontally into the flashing lap and into porous masonry. Under vertical rain the same detail sheds fine, which is why the leak seems intermittent.
Get a straight answer about your roof
Tell us what you're seeing and we'll inspect it, photograph it, and explain what it actually needs — repair or replacement.